Pair of La Tolita & Huastec Terracotta Heads

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Northwest Coast, Tribal, & Pre-Columbian Art

By Artemis Gallery

May 24, 2018

Set Reminder 2018-05-24 10:00:00 2018-05-24 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Northwest Coast, Tribal, & Pre-Columbian Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/northwest-coast-tribal-pre-columbian-art-3238
Featuring Pacific Northwest Coast Native American Art from respected collector / dealer, Joseph Alphabet. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, La Tolita (also Tumaco) culture, ca. 350 BCE to 350 CE; Mexico, Huastec culture, ca. 900 to 1450 CE. A lovely duo of mold-formed terracotta heads displaying expert craftsmanship and meticulous detailing. First is a greyware La Tolita head of a "cacique," an elder dignitary or tribal leader, displaying typical cacique features such as almond eyes, deep facial wrinkles, cupped ears with several perforations, a prominent nose, and a thin mouth, all beneath an elongated brow. Second is a pale-orange Huastec head with notable Mayan and Olmec influences which define the shape the broad nose, wide, toothy mouth, perforated ears, drilled almond-shaped eyes, incised brow line, and naturalistic facial structure. A wonderful group of ancient terracotta sculptures! Custom museum-quality display stands included. Size (La Tolita): 4.125" H (10.5 cm); 6.625" H (16.8 cm) on included custom stand; size (Huastec): 3.5" H (8.9 cm); 5.25" H (13.3 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  The caciques of the La Tolita peoples were responsible for the welfare of their communities; they received tribute (in the form of gold and textiles) and mobilized labor forces for building projects and agriculture. They lived in large, enclosed residential compounds and paid their laborers in maize beer and textiles.
  
  The Huastec people - who lived on Mexico's Gulf Coast and ultimately became one of the satellite states of the Aztec Empire in the 15th century - are little-known. Aside from limited artwork and Aztec accounts given to Spanish chroniclers, the Huastecs were not painted in a flattering light. Recent archaeological research has begun to bring their rich iconography to life. A head like this beige-colored example was likely attached to a sculpture and would have been placed in a public space within a city, either outdoors in a plaza or along the side of a monumental building, or inside of a temple.
  
  Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
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  #132622

  Condition

  Both heads have age-commensurate surface wear and abrasions, and are fragments of larger figures. La Tolita head has repairs to areas of one ear and underneath neck, with restoration to nose. Huastec head has small losses to nose, mouth, one ear, eyes, and back of head. Both heads have some minor discoloration. Light earthen deposits throughout.
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